Asparagus and White Bean Pesto Tart
September 29th, 2008
Stumble it!
I can’t believe it, but the holidays are coming. And when there are holidays, there are parties, and the ever growing need for easy, tasty, fancy seeming food that you can serve your guests. Here’s a beautiful, ridiculously delicious, and easy-to-make asparagus tart that is so freakin’ awesome you’ll want to make it even when you’re not expecting guests.
Now, there are a few trade-offs that make this recipe as easy as it is. The first Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, because it’s a pain the butt to make it from scratch. This stuff is miraculously vegan. The trade-off is that while it might be vegan, the ingredients list is pretty long and contains things like high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil. This doesn’t bother me much, especially since I don’t eat things like this a lot. But I know some of my readers are uncomfortable eating products containing these ingredients at all. For those who aren’t, or don’t mind occasionally consuming something like this, head to the freezer section of your grocery store and pick up the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets. They’re easy to use and only require 40 minutes of defrosting before using.
If you’re interested in making your own vegan puff pastry, there is hope! VeganDad made some beautiful vegan puff pastry simply subbing Earth Balance margarine for butter and following FoodBeam’s thoughtful recipe. Definitely check out both blogs. One day I’m sure I’ll try to make my own puff pastry, but that day is not today. Props to VeganDad for giving me hope that it’s even possible! You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.
The other time-saving tips include using canned beans (which I always do anyway, because I’m lazy?) and a pesto concentrate that you can find at Whole Foods (and many other grocery stores) in the pasta/tomato aisle. It’s called Amore Pesto Paste, and the only ingredients are basil, sunflower oil, olive oil, salt, pine nuts, garlic, and citric acid. It’s wonderful to use in all sorts of stuff, so pick up a tube and try it out.
Asparagus Tart with White Bean Pesto
Serves 8 as an appetizer
1 15 oz Can Navy Beans
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Heaping Cup Raw Cashews
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbs Amore Pesto Paste
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbs Soy or Rice Milk, or water
1 lb Fresh Asparagus
1 Puff Pastry Sheet
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
Remove 1 puff pastry sheet from the freezer and let it defrost on the counter for 40 minutes on top of parchment paper. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400º F and make the filling.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them to the work bowl of a food processor. Add of the remaining ingredients except the soymilk (salt through lemon juice). Pulse the food processor, stopping ever few pulses to scrape down the sides and pulse again. You want to break up the beans and the cashews. Once it’s as smooth as you can get it, dribble in the soymilk while the machine is running, as this should help further smooth the mixture.
After 40 minutes of defrosting, carefully unwrap the puff pastry on top of your parchment paper:
Roll the puff pastry out slightly into a rectangle. Then add the white bean pesto mixture, leaving a 1 to 1 1/2 inch border on all sides:
Trim your asparagus so that it fits the tart width-wise. Press the spears into the white bean pesto, alternating their direction so that there are tips and bases next to each other; this one everyone is guaranteed every part of the asparagus after cutting:
With a sharp knife, trim all the edges to they are neat and square. Trim away as little as possible.
Brush the spears with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper:
Using the parchment paper, slide the tart onto a baking sheet (don’t remove the tart from the paper). Bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes until the tart is puffed and golden brown and the spears are tender. Serve while just warm.
You can reheat this tart in the oven for a few minutes if you have leftovers, but it’s also good at room temperature. Fresh basil is a nice garnish. If you’ve never worked with puff pastry before, this is a great recipe to get your feet wet. It really is easy to use, just as delicious as phyllo dough with none of the stress. And it’s fun to watch it puff!
Entry Filed under: appetizers, baked goods, herbs, parties, recipe
66 Comments Add your own
1. Suzanne | September 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
This looks delicious!
Not sure it’s available outside the Northwest, but we use Aussie Bakery puff pastry which doesn’t have any hf corn syrup or other yucky ingredients…
http://www.aussiebakery.com/pdf-files/FoodSvc.pdf
Oh, thanks for the tip! I haven’t seen that on the east coast, but I’ll keep an eye out for it!
2. kim | September 29th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
that is a beautiful looking tart! white bean pesto… sounds delicious
3. VeggieGirl | September 29th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
BEYOND magnificent tart.
4. La Vida Vegan | September 29th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
wow, I had no idea Pepperidge Farm puff pastry was vegan?! That is great to know, thanks. The tart looks amazing, and your photos always make me hungry
5. Mike | September 29th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Want! Want soooo much!!!!
6. Shelby | September 29th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
You are such a genius and your pictures are gorgeous! This looks so fancy and delicious =)
7. evestirs | September 29th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
mmmm..i love asparagus.
very creative, thanks!
8. laura k | September 29th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Wow, this looks really impressive, and sounds delicious! I will most certainly be adding it to my Must Try list. Thanks for sharing.
9. B36Kitchen | September 29th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
They are beautiful and might just be a Thanksgiving treat that I bring to my in laws. Thanks!1
10. kelley | September 29th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
i love things like this, that are just fancy enough to seem special without being a ton of work. looks delicious!
thanks to the first commenter for the tip - i hope they have that brand in portland.
11. Tofufreak | September 29th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
gorgeous tart! the flavors sound very complementary
12. barbichounette | September 30th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Superbe comme d’habitude !!!!
Bizzzzzzzzz
Barbichounette
13. Katie | September 30th, 2008 at 6:54 am
That sounds SOOOO fabulous!! I love this idea. Totally making this when my brother comes home! Thanks!
14. Monica | September 30th, 2008 at 8:09 am
That looks scrumptious! Love your blog! Happy day to you!
15. Mary | September 30th, 2008 at 8:22 am
The colors are stunning! I’ll have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing.
16. Calimaryn | September 30th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Beautiful! Thank you so much for the fabulous walk through photos! That helps me picture myself making this easily!
17. vegancowgirl | September 30th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Holy Moly! These photos are killing me. These look so amazing. I am going to have a party and invite you as the supremo guest-chef!! Because, there is no way that I could reinvent that….how totally fantastic. You rock!
18. allularpunk | September 30th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
this looks so delicious and easy! i never knew working with puff pastry was that simple, or i’d have been doing it long ago… and what a lovely combination of flavors. mm! i might have to brave the HFCS and hydrogenated oils for this one.
19. Elise Gabriel | September 30th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
YOU, madam, are a lady and a scholar!
This is beyond fantastic! I typically hate most vegan quiches and the like, but this looks so delicious. Plus, it has protein and its good, hot food for cool weather. I cannot wait to make it this weekend.
xoxo
20. Joselle Palacios | September 30th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
This looks and sounds so amazing. I’m definitely making this come holiday…or just for me now!
I don’t know if this has been suggested before but it would be awesome if you had a print version of each recipe so we could just print the instructions without the pictures (and if this feature is already available, perhaps I am blind). Not that the pictures aren’t magnificent because they are and I would visit this site for the pictures alone; just thinking it would be easier on printers to have a text-only version. 101 Cookbooks has a print version of recipes and I find it very helpful.
Yes, I’m working on that! It’s a great idea. I’m implementing some other features for the site as well, but I don’t have a timeline for them let. Just know that printer friendly recipes as well as other fun features are in the works.
21. Tara | September 30th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
ah beautiful! my son is gonna love this!
22. Heidi | September 30th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
It’s funny Joselle, I get many, many emails from readers requesting a print-friendly version of the 101 recipes WITH photo. I think in the long run I’m going to have both - print-friendly with and print-friendly without photo.
Hope this helps Lolo. -h
23. chow vegan | October 1st, 2008 at 12:16 am
That looks amazing! When the photo first started to load, I thought it was a little palm tree decoration on the tart.
24. Tara | October 1st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
This recipe does look amazing! Can’t wait to try it. For those of you wondering about printing, I just highlight the whole document and cut and paste it into Microsoft Word. From there you can delete any text (no offense) or pictures that you don’t want for your print version. You can also resize photos if you want to print them out and save paper at the same time! I can usually get each recipe down to only 1 page (front and back) with most of the photos. It only takes a few minutes. Might be a good solution until a print option appears in the blog. Just a thought…
25. Mimi | October 1st, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Should this be served as the main entree? If yes, what are some good side dish suggestions to accompany it?
26. Bianca-Vegan Crunk | October 1st, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I love that Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, and I’m usually in the no HFCS camp. But you gotta splurge for puff pastry.
27. Marisa | October 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
Looks awesome! Also, love the Office reference! Haha.
28. Jennifer | October 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Great photos (as usual!). I love this tart and it absolutely would make a great holiday dish. Such beautiful colors from the asparagus and basil!
29. Starry | October 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Ohhhh - holiday dish! I think this would look so great served on a white platter with roasted plum or cherry tomatoes around it!
30. Gourmet Bliss | October 2nd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
This recipe looks great. We haven’t had any fresh baby asparagus in Hawaii for a while…. once I find some I intend to make this!
31. Denver Catering | October 3rd, 2008 at 1:03 am
This is absolutely to die for, I sincerely appreciate everything you do here on this blog! Thank you!
32. Mallika | October 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 am
That looks super cool. I love how you’ve used every shortcut imaginable. A girl after my own heart…
33. Sarah | October 3rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Ooh, I used to make sun-dried tomato pesto all the time when I worked in a deli. I’m going to have to try this both with and without tomatoes…Ah, why do I always come to your site when I’m hungry??
I think your recipes are going to feature prominently in all my future parties…
34. sheree | October 6th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Can I come to your house for the holidays? I am sure your spread will be magnificent!
35. sunita | October 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
The tart looks so elegant…thanks for sharing …loved the pesto
36. elena | October 7th, 2008 at 5:59 am
jeejee … I like so much!. See how I did this recipe:
http://eldelantalverde.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/pastel-de-esparragos/
greetings
37. Monika | October 7th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
This appetizer looks like a million bucks! It’ll definitely take my make-shift dinner parties to a whole new level - thanks for the recipe! (:
38. kendra! | October 8th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Just made this as a main entree, Lolo. I actually doubled the pastry puff (so sort of made a Big Mac Asparagus tart
and I found I needed more salt in the bean paste but it was really good and really filling!
39. Reviews at Random : *kend&hellip | October 9th, 2008 at 9:35 am
[...] Asparagus White Bean Pesto Tart over at Vegan Yum Yum. Mine needed a touch more salt, but let me know how yours turns out, will [...]
40. Anna | October 10th, 2008 at 8:07 am
hello,
i dunt know how i get here, but i gotta say, ehh this is a really nice site, (sry 4 bad english)
and i hope u will post more delicios things.
i will try to cook ur stuff
dear greetings from germany
anna
(again sry for my bad english)
41. Laavanya | October 10th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
What a gorgeous looking tart that is…
42. katey | October 10th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Oh god. that looks AMAZING, i wish i could make it. But im raw vegan
aweee i need to find a a way to make this raw lol
43. Bob B. | October 11th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Where do you live that asparagus is in season now?
44. Jen | October 11th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Would it be possible to use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry if none is available?
Thanks
45. Caitlin | October 13th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Did you guys know that asparagus season is in the springtime? If you are finding asparagus now, it probably was flown in (using oil, and losing nutrients) from somewhere in South America.
I find the taste of fresh-picked seasonal asparagus incomparable with that of off-season global-economy asparagus.
All food plants have a growing cycle (and a corresponding season), although that is something that many people have forgotten.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (by Barbara Kingsolver) is an excellent & enjoyable book about eating local.
46. Emily | October 13th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Wow, thanks for taking the time to write such an informative and helpful post! I don’t usually photograph food, but there were lots of good pointers for other applications. Awesome.
47. darjeeling | October 14th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
When I made this the bottom and middle were kind of raw (but still tasty!). What did I do wrong?
48. Katie B. | October 14th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
What a fabulous dinner - we loved it!!
49. Asparagus and White Bean &hellip | October 17th, 2008 at 4:25 am
[...] Read More [...]
50. Amy | October 17th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Great idea to use the white beans!! You are so talented!
51. Kevin | October 18th, 2008 at 11:25 am
What an amazing way to enjoy asparagus!
52. grey | October 27th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Oh. My. Gosh.
I made this after dinner tonight. It is SO GOOD. I mean, hubby and I might just eat the whole thing. Ourselves. Tonight. After we’ve already eaten dinner. Thanks for always coming up with a good meal for us!
53. Broccoli white bean pesto&hellip | November 1st, 2008 at 7:02 am
[...] courtesy of VeganYumYum blog, this tart is delightful. The white bean pesto comes together in a jiffy in your food [...]
54. Sue | November 28th, 2008 at 12:06 am
I made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out great. My only comments are these: I did add a touch more salt than the recipe required and next time around I will probably blanch or boil the asparagus beforehand so it’s easier to maneuver. Otherwise, delish!
55. Miss Molly | December 6th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I’m making this tonight and I’m so excited. If it goes over well, I’ll be making it as part of Christmas dinner.
56. carolyn | December 15th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
this was SO GOOD!!! my boyfriend was so impressed. i am making it again tonight
57. Vegan Yum Yum - Blogs Mik&hellip | December 16th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
[...] posted a great how to on food photography here. A few recipes on my to-do list are the Asparagus and white bean pesto tart, and the Gnocchi with thyme vinaigrette and lemon cashew [...]
58. P.eter | December 26th, 2008 at 2:27 am
Tried it yesterday as appetizer for Christmas dinner, it was wonderful. Thanks for this simple and nice recipe.
59. Julie Bayless | January 1st, 2009 at 11:32 am
This is fabulous. Made it last night for our New Year’s Eve party. Wish I’d made 2 of them!
I couldn’t find either the pesto or basil at the store (it was a madhouse) so instead I stirred into the blended mixture about 1/3 cup chopped italian parsley, half a cup of chopped onion and one shallot sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, added more lemon juice (6 T. total) and a crushed clove of garlic, a bit more olive oil and a large splash of cream sherry. Also, I only had roasted cashews. Added some crushed garlic also to the olive oil I brushed over the top. It came out really great even with all the tinkering.
60. Kanga | January 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 am
Wow this is so awesome, thanks so much! I made it with phyllo dough instead, because I couldn’t find puff pastry in the store. I just had to cook it for a little shorter, and I put the spread between some of the layers as well as on top. Yum yum <3
61. RuthieAA | February 15th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I also made a variation on this recipe, and wanted to report on my success here where you blogged the original version. I had nut-allergic guests coming, so I couldn’t use pre-made pesto. Basil was also alarmingly expensive (because it’s February!) I bought some cilantro and made the cilantro pesto from Lorna Sass’ Recipes from An Ecological Kitchen, but with toasted tahini in place of the pine nuts. Then I blended that with the white beans, and more tahini, and some lime juice. I think I’ve commented on one of your other posts about substituting seeds for nuts, but this was the first time I made one of your recipes that way, and I wanted you to know that it was really successful, just in case you need to feed someone else who can’t eat nuts.
62. Veganessa » Blog Ar&hellip | February 24th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
[...] recipe can be found here at VeganYumYum with beautiful photographs of the step by step process to making it. This is my [...]
63. Day 35 « The 40-Day&hellip | April 4th, 2009 at 1:41 am
[...] has some dishes that are incidentally vegan, so I’m thinking about an appetizer (possibly VeganYumYum’s asparagus and white bean pesto tart), possibly another veggie dish, and a strawberry pie for dessert (I have to make up for my [...]
64. Lorena | April 4th, 2009 at 1:44 am
I’m thinking of making this for Easter since asparagus is abundant where I am, but I don’t have a food processor. Do you think this recipe would work in a blender?
I have a new professional-grade Waring blender, but I’m not sure if it’ll be able to handle this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
65. Emily | April 11th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Regarding the question from Lorena: I’m thinking of making this for Easter too, and I am probably going to use my blender rather than my food processor. It’s a heavy duty one and seems to work better than the processor for finely chopping cashews! So I’ll bet your blender would be great for it. : )
66. Robin | June 1st, 2009 at 11:54 pm
I’ve made this tart 3 times now, twice when I was entertaining, and it’s always a big hit. The white bean pesto is so delicious on its own that I’ve started doubling the recipe so that I have some leftover… it makes for a great sandwich spread AND just a great dip in general. Thanks for posting!
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed